‘Tis the season for love at your friendly neighborhood sex shop! This is not to say that there isn’t a particular sense of yearning and passion that haunts your stores the other 11 months out of the year. You just can’t deny that there’s something different about the vibe (pun intended) around Valentine’s Day.
Even I, someone who believes that we should frolic in the merriment of Valentine’s Day all year round, can’t help but get swept up in the romance. Our modern-day lives have become so consumed with the day-to-day of it all, that perhaps maybe it takes a concrete emotional alarm clock, like Valentine’s, to get us to stop and actually appreciate the passion that exist in and around us?
Once again, the sex toy industry is ahead of the curve. We’ve been saying from the beginning that love for one’s self is just as worthy of a Shakespearean sonnet.
I know how easy it is to take it all for granted. Especially in this world where marathoning through your favorite shows with a bucket full of nachos and your most comfortable pair of sweatpants, is just so damn easy to do. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily call an occasional “Lazy Sunday” on the couch a rut, but one Sunday can easily turn into every Sunday and before you know it, the candle of spontaneity can start to burn a little low. This applies to those in and out of relationships.
Perhaps there’s a reason why the little winged sprite has to fire arrows to get people’s attention? What it all comes down to is that it’s important to feel particularly special from time to time. And regardless of what anyone might say about the commercialization of Cupid’s favorite holiday, regardless of the size of the spark that it ignites within you, Feb. 14 will always have a way of making someone stop and really take a look at the romance in their lives. In whatever form it may take.
From your first schoolyard crush, to that moment you realize that you don’t need a significant other in your life to feel appreciated; our concept of love changes dramatically over the course of our lives. As such, our shared cultural idea of love also has a way of adjusting and changing with each passing day.
While popular marketing has a tendency to praise the love that exist between two people as the epitome of emotional completeness, a new emerging trend is challenging the idea of the traditional definition of love in our society. This new mentality is the idea that “self love” can be just as (if not more) satisfying to one’s overall happiness.
Once again, the sex toy industry is ahead of the curve. We’ve been saying from the beginning that love for one’s self is just as worthy of a Shakespearean sonnet. This new change in mentality is providing an excellent opportunity for proprietors of “self satisfaction accessories.” While a portion of our marketing will always focus on presenting new ideas and products to couples, we must also remember to try and reach those who will be celebrating this season by embracing their love for themselves.
In fact, I challenge you to make the effort to target customers outside the already established Valentine’s ideal. An important tip would be not to use phrases like “alone this Valentine’s” or “couldn’t find a date,” instead cultivate the idea that loving oneself is not only an acceptable alternative, but a worthy one. As recent years have taught us, love is a beautiful and complex thing, and we’re equipped to cater to many of its forms!
